Symbolic imageIran balks at Qatari draft deal as US prepares possible strikes after midterms
Qatar gave Iran a seven-day draft deal to end the war, and a senior Iranian official reportedly rejected it. The US is reportedly preparing possible strikes after 3 November.
Qatari mediators gave Iran a draft deal on Sunday, 25 October, with a seven-day timeline of daily confidence-building steps and several guarantor countries, according to an official briefed on the talks. A senior Iranian official told Reuters it amounted to "unacceptable ideas and not an offer", while the briefed official said Tehran would respond by the end of the week. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi wrote on Wednesday that Iran is giving diplomacy a chance and remains in contact with intermediaries.
US buildup
The Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday that the US is moving a Patriot battery from Texas to the Middle East and has warned Gulf states of a short, intense campaign after the midterms. President Trump has not decided but leans toward hitting infrastructure and nuclear sites, the paper said.
Gulf security track
The Guardian reports that Gulf states are drafting a package to reopen the Strait of Hormuz four days after sanctions are lifted. Iran's Ali Bagheri offered to cut Tehran's seven-day proposal to four, but Iran refuses to readmit UN inspectors, which European diplomats see as a minimum for Trump.